A letter to Igneel
by beatress
Summary: All it took was a letter to Igneel. If not for that, maybe Natsu Dragneel would've never met Lucy Heartfilia. Probably, it would've been nearly impossible for him to take his life seriously without this encounter. A story of conflict of the past and present… a story where one could only love while the other couldn't… A story of Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia…. AU
1. Prologue

**Natsu: Happy New Year, minna! **

**Me: Oi, Natsu, It passed last month. It's already February. **

**Natsu: But only wrote a story and posted it today. And what's up with a new story? Don't you have many others to finish? **

**Me: They have some plotholes in that so they might have to wait. To top that, I was inspired to write this story so I had to. I just love the way it turn out. **

**Natsu: Does it have me? Lucy too?**

**Me: Obvious. I wonder why I can't resist writing about you even though you're such a pain in the neck. **

**Natsu: Not my fault. Besides you don't own me do you? All the characters belong to Mashima sensei. All you own is the plot.**

**Me: Yeah yeah I know. I'm tired Natsu. Minna-san, enjoy this story.**

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**A letter to Igneel**

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_**Prologue**_

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_Dear Lucy, _

_I'm sorry to have left you alone in the vast world at this age. It might be insensitive of me to ask you in this way but forgive me. I did not wish to trouble you with my health condition. It is one of the reasons why I kept my distance from you all these years ever since Layla left us. I hope you still do well in whatever you chose to pursue. Never forget us and the fact that we always love you and are proud of you. You've grown into a fine lady, Lucy. I only wish I could've seen more of your growth. _

_It's breaking my heart more than ever to imagine the hardships you'll face once I'm gone forever. Having a lone past, I can understand the pain of not having someone to look forward to. I know you too understand it. People who come must leave too. That is the rule of the world, though I need not explain this to you. You're a smart and kind girl. I know you'll make many friends, the ones whom you couldn't have within the four walls of Heartfilia Konzern and you'll be loved, I can assure you that. So, don't ever feel lonely. I'm sure, mama and now me will always watch over you. I'm glad to have a daughter like you. _

_I also apologise to have never let you into the company matters. If you've received this letter, then you probably are not at home. The company had gone bankrupt and the tension seemed to worsen my condition. The property would've been sealed off and having a knowledge of the above facts, make me feel even worse. That's why I'm writing this letter to you so that you could at least reach a person who can help with your situation. He's a friend of mine and Layla's from our college days and knowing him, he'd still stick around his old place. His name is Igneel Dragneel. He's the only person I can entrust you with. So when you meet him give the other letter I enclosed with this one. _

_Take care, Lucy. This is our good bye here._

_Love you loads, _

_Papa _

_(Signature: Jude)_

She knocked on the door, hoping the person her father mentioned in his letter was still living at the place. It took a while for her to locate the place which was on the outskirts of the city and near a park. She couldn't understand what kind of person would live in such a place considering the creep it gave her ( a forest was nearby and who knows what will come and attack you all of a sudden) and that too for a long time. That was none of her concern though. She needed to meet this person called Igneel for he was the only person who could help her.

Seeing there was no reply, she knocked again. This time she got the answer as the door creaked open. Greeting her was a man with onyx eyes, his beard wasn't shaved for a couple of days giving a shaggy appearance, the striking thing being his hair which was pink, an unusual colour for hair. From the looks of it, she could tell, he was a person with a messy life style. He was dozing off indicating that he was probably asleep when she knocked earlier and woke up after the second round of knocking.

"Ano, Igneel-san?" she asked in doubt for the man seemed to be her contemporary, if older maybe by a year.

The guy looked from head to toe while letting out a yawn. She had blonde hair and a worried look, her brown eyes flickered alternatively with hope and fear. She squeezed her hands and tightened her suitcase?

He gave a disinterested look and replied, "He's not here"

The door was closed on her face.

What? This couldn't be happening. She had to meet this person called Igneel.

She knocked on the door again and was greeted by the same man.

"Is he in there? Please, let me in. Is he busy? My father said he lives here," she asked again.

"No, he doesn't live here," he replied, slamming the door on her face, irritated.

"Igneel-san? Igneel-san? I have to meet you. Please! Please, I request you-" she began calling from outside, one of her desperate attempts to meet the person.

"Is it so hard to understand? He doesn't live here!" The door opened suddenly and he shouted.

"But… I… Can you give me his current address?" she asked, looking down to the ground. She felt like she was troubling this man in front of her.

"I wouldn't have had to stay here if I had known that! Now leave me alone and let me get some sleep!" he shouted.

"I understood," she said, walking away from the door. _I guess no one can help me…_

He watched her leave, with the sun painting the sky red and the stars appearing out of the light that hid them. He wasn't sure what was happening but he had a bad feeling about all this. He wasn't even half awake at the moment these things are happening. He had to stay up for the whole night yesterday because of assignments and stuff. He hadn't gotten any sleep in the entirety of the previous week too. If you were him, would you calmly respond to anyone who had woken you up within 3 hours of the time you've been sleeping?

"Ano," he looked at her when he heard her voice. She tried not to show her face but he saw against the contrasting background, her brown orbs were filled with water that sparkled due to the sun's light. His eyes widened at the sight. He had never made anyone cry, not even once. So that was the bad feeling he had. "If ever Igneel-san comes back, could you tell him that Lucy Heartfilia came to meet him? It's important you see,"

A gust of wind blew as she walked away. Her own misfortune consuming her mind, she failed to notice that the wind had blown the letter that was addressed to Igneel Dragneel. Where was it to land? Ironically, it landed at the feet of the man who forced her to leave.

"To Igneel Dragneel…." He read, his mind now fully awake. After reading the letter, he realised messed up big time.

~0~

She sat down at a bench in the park. _What should I do? Even Igneel-san is not here. Where should I go?_

"Here" a voice broke the trail of her thoughts. She looked upto find a handkerchief being handed up to her. "You don't look good crying"

Her eyes widened at the sight of the source of the voice she heard. It was the same guy from before. What did he have to do?

"I'm sorry about earlier. I haven't been sleeping lately and so I got crazy a bit," he said as he sat on the bench. Lucy distanced herself from him while wiping off her tears. He smiled at her but she continued to look at the ground.

"I'm sorry for the trouble," she said, not sparing a look at him.

"Now come on Lucy. Don't be like that. You know me," he said, talking as if they were friends for lifetime.

"I don't even know your name. Stop acting like you know me," she sent glares his way.

"That hurt," he faked a hurt look but then smiled at her, "It's Natsu, Natsu Dragneel. I'm the one who's going to help you"

"Dragneel? That means you know where Igneel is?" she asked with her voice filled with hope.

"I wasn't lying when I told you I don't know about his whereabouts. In fact, I'd be the first to run to him if I had known," he averted his eyes which he knew depicted the sadness in him, from hers. Though Lucy sensed the change in mood, she remained silent and chose to look forward to what he had to say. "It's been 9 years since he left on a job and never returned. I've been waiting for him…. Ever since. All I want is to just find him and stay with him…."

"I'm sorry… I didn't know that" she bowed her head. It seemed like her story wasn't the only one which is sad.

"Don't be… I'm living aren't I? I know someday I'll definitely meet him. But Lucy, since Igneel is not here, I'll be the only one who can help you, right?" he said, smiling at her.

"Nani?" she asked in confusion.

"I read the letter your father wrote to my old man. Since he's not available, I'll be the one to take charge. Right? Atleast that's what Igneel has told me before leaving…" he said, trying to remember the exact words.

"…"

"So, Lucy," he stood up. The night fell faster than it usually did. The stars shined as he extended his hand for her to take. "Will you come with me to my house?"

His question left her thinking. She was not sure. _What should I do? Mama, Papa… Please help me…_

"I… I…"

"It's alright, I'll be there for you, always," he said, remembering the words from the letter.

_Dear Igneel, _

_It's long time since I wrote one of these to you. I hope your still sticking around not going on your little adventures. I hope you settled down too. _

_This girl here is my Daughter Lucy. I've written to you in my previous letters about how Lucy and I were the only ones left with Layla gone. I'm afraid I'm going to meet the same fate and I feel bad about leaving Lucy alone to fend for self. My company got bankrupt and she barely has a roof to stay under. Since I'd be long gone before you receive this letter, I want you to promise this old friend of yours that you'll always look after Lucy. She's a smart girl and a very kind girl so I'm worried about how she'll do in this world. Besides, she's naïve considering she has never been outside the gates of the Konzern. So, I want you to protect her with all you can. If she's in your hands, I'm sure my soul can rest in peace. Will you do this as a part of my last wish?_

_I don't know how to end it but this just may be my last words. Good bye._

_With regards,_

_Jude_

_(Signature : Jude)_

"I…" she hesitated but then thought it was for the best, considering she had nowhere to go, "Alright"

They shook hands. Both of them smiled at each other and broke into laughter at how silly it felt grinning like idiots. Natsu offered to carry her luggage, reasoning that she was working too much. Lucy laughed while she walked in the front, saying he was sounding like her dad.

"I promise I'll protect her with all I can. You can rest in peace, Uncle," he said to no one in particular before following her and complaining to her that the suitcase is heavy.

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**Me: So, minna-san, how was it? Good? Bad? Worth continuing? Or "Stop it here! It's horrible"? Why don't you leave a review and let me know what I should do? I'm confused about that.**

**Natsu: You made Lucy cry in the first chapter! You're so wicked. **

**Me: But you met her, didn't you? And she's staying with you?**

**Natsu: Still! *sticks out his tongue* Minna-san, please tell her to make it better. All you have to do is post your comment, opinions, suggestions etc in the box below. Tell her to stop writing such things. She's creating so many troubles.**

**Me: That hurt, Natsu. I'm too tired to fight you anyways. I hope you all liked it. Thank you for reading it! Leave a review if you can *yawns* that'll make me happy and who knows, it might inspire me to write more and faster.**

**Natsu: Don't forget to do what I said! Good night!**

**Me: Gud- n8… *snores***


	2. Home

**a/n: So, here comes the second chapter! *drum rolls* Faster than I thought, I'm surprised. Thank you so much for all the feedback (To 4ever-a-fairy, I'm glad to hear about that. I realised it later but I tried to fix that in this chapter. I hope it helps and makes the story better. )**

**Okay, here you go!**

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**Disclaimer:- I don't own Fairytail. Mashima-sensei does!**

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**A letter to Igneel**

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**Chapter-1 **

**Home**

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"Make yourself comfortable," he said, shoving those unidentifiable fallen objects out of his way. "Sorry for the mess. I live here alone. Also I can't afford a maid so the place ended up like a garbage can. Don't bother yourself. I promise I'll clean it up tomorrow- first thing in the morning"

Her eyes seemed to scan the place she was going to live in for that night. It was spacious, except for the numerous things scattered here and there. It wasn't a really good place to stay but considering she had no other alternative she could go to, this probably was the best (the park near the forest would be just dangerous wouldn't it be?).

"Why don't you take my room? I'd sleep here on the couch for the night. We'll clear up the other room which has old stuff so you could stay there, okay?" he grinned at her. This was getting too difficult. Here was he, who was trying his best to try and talk to her, and she, who doesn't speak any more than a 'thank you'.

She mouthed a 'Thank you, Dragneel-san(oh, how he hated it when anyone called that. Calling him Natsu was easier, wasn't it?)", before leaving for upstairs. She cleared a few stuff from the bed, neatly arranged and laid on it, her eyes wandering of to take in the twinkles amidst the dark sky.

"Just this night, Lucy. Tomorrow I'll leave this place" So was her last thought for the day before her eyelids began to close and she drifted into sleep.

…..

It was still early in the morning, the sky still engulfed by the black of the night. Although in some corner of it, red of the sun began spreading its shades across the black canvas. No soul in the locality seemed to have had a restless night except for one. The blonde who was new to the place couldn't quite sleep well. Though her body might have given up to sleep considering the amount of travelling she'd done to reach the place and the turmoil her mind went through when she learnt about her father's friend, the sound of the snoring, presumably belong to the pink haired male who was downstairs woke her up. Being a light sleeper did help her this time for she couldn't trust the man, not quite. Despite the fact that he seemed friendly, over-friendly if she may say, she remembered the warning her caretaker gave her when she left her place to meet this 'Igneel' person.

"_Don't trust anyone Lucy-sama. The world outside is cruel and not quite like what you see within these four walls of the Konzern. You should keep your guard on, no matter where you are. IT could get really scary" _

Her care-taker's words still rang inside her head. She may have laughed and talked to him. That didn't imply that she trusted him. No, she did not. She only accepted him offer as she had no where to go and she definitely didn't wanted to be stranded in the middle of nowhere. She made up her mind. Once the night goes down, she's going home.

She got off the bed. It was getting scary in this place. This was nowhere near to how her place was. Her home was tranquil and beautiful, not noisy and scary like this one here. She couldn't stand to stay here any longer. So she decided…

Dragging her luggage making as small sound as possible, she made her way to the door, passing the sleeping individual who was muttering about ramen in his sleep. She opened the door with an effort to not wake the sleeping man and turned around.

"Gomen ne, Dragneel-san… I couldn't stay. Anyways, Guests are not always welcome, are they?" was all she said, before walking away from the man and this place. She should still be able to catch the train to Acalypha.

"Hmmm… Yummy…. I want more! I want more! Mira, get me some more rame- _Thud!"_ A bump formed at the place where the ground met his face. He yelped in pain but then again drifted back to sleep, unaware of the runaway guest.

…..

"Maybe, I should get something for Lucy too. Who knows when she might have eaten last? I guess ramen might do" he said, before grabbing his coat and leaving to get something to eat. He didn't bother to wake her up because he thought she might need some rest. It was 10 a.m. already. If he ate any later, he might as well grab a lunch or a brunch, whatever they call it. He couldn't go to his favourite shop if he wanted to keep his guest alive. So, he got some ramen from a nearby shop and went upstairs and entered without knocking.

"I hope you don't mind but I got some food for you Lu-" he stopped in his words, "-cy"

"Lucy, are you having a bath?" he called out. He waited for 1 minute, 2 minutes…. 5 minutes…. 10 minutes… He pressed his ears to the door of his bathroom to hear nothing but silence. He opened the door to find the said room empty.

He ran downstairs and checked in his kitchen. Then he ran outside to the park, searched his locality, and did everything in his power to find her. There was no sign of the above mentioned girl.

"Crap, where is she?" That's when it struck his mind. There was no luggage stranded in any part of the room. She might have as well…. left.

…..

"Why doesn't this piece of junk work?!"

"Ara, ara, Natsu seems to be more irritated today than any other day" a female said, watching the pink-haired male shout at his computer. Her long white hair flowed to her knees while her lips kept on the smile despite the disturbance.

"Maybe he had a bad morning. The load of the previous assignments must have gotten to him. Erza-san must have gone a little easy on him, ne Mira-nee?" another female with white hair reaching upto her shoulders and younger than the other said, watching him helplessly.

"Stop it, Tabasco-freak! We're trying to work here"

"There came the most anticipated shout. If we're not wrong, there will soon be a fight," a blue-haired female said, her eyes not leaving her books but her mind reading the situation. From her chair in the office, she counted numbers as if knowing well the patience level of the two arguing men- one of whom is the much mentioned pink-haired male while the other is the never mentioned (so far) raven haired man.

"in 10, 9 ,8, 7,…."

"Go Levy go!" two males cheered her from behind. She smiled at them, her teammates and look back to find a new addition in the number of people- a black-haired male with piercings all over.

"Not Gajeel too! I told him not to…. This can start any moment unless…"

"What's happening?" an authoritative voice drew their attention to the source and the three men hugged each other sideways at the sight of the red head to whom the voice belonged.

"No,"

"Nothing"

"Just planning a…"

"pajama party"

"because we're…"

"Good friends?..."

They said in turns, not even sure of what they had been speaking, hoping she'd buy that. That female could be the most dangerous person in the entire world.

"It's good to hear that" she said, walking away and allowing them to breathe in relief.

"That was close" they said in unison, "it was because of you!" they accused.

"And there they go again" Levy sighed, retreating to her books.

…

"To think the day went this bad…. Where is she? I don't know where she lives. Neither did my old man didn't mention anything about having a friend who had a daughter or any such story, nor did her old man write the address on the letter's envelope. How will I take care of her when I don't know where she is?!" he talked to himself while walking back to home.

"_If she had some sense of the world, it's alright. If she's a total amateur at this outside world, then she's in serious trouble. I did promise that old man I'll take charge of things in his absence but it seems… I'll fail this time. And that man's last wish too…. Crap! What am I thinking? Maybe she returned. I should just hurry up," _he sped up his pace and hoped to have some good news. However, reaching home, he found none. Was she a twenty year old or two year old- leaving without telling anyone? What was she thinking of herself?!

_Tring… Tring… Tring…_

Then his annoying phone rang.

"Moshi moshi?" he said, his tone rough as though he'd chop the head of the person who called him at the wrong time.

"Huh? Erza?" the irritation left his voice and his mind chose the words carefully.

"What? To Crocus? Errr…. You see… I have some… No! No problem! I'm always free to go there. What?! with Gray?! No way!... I mean no way I'd have any problem. We're good friends… Yeah, trust us on that. Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of it. Bye, Good night!" he ended the call. And he thought she'd come tomorrow of the day after. He looked into the fading sun and wondered what was happening. What kind of game was this? This is not even funny.

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**a/n: How was it? Good? bad? Worser. Let me know your thoughts about it. Please post your opinions, suggestions and comments in the box below. They'll definitely make my day and keep me running through tough time. **

**I'm trying to finish the next chapter of Secretly Married and Be my wife; So stay tuned for them too! **

**Thanks for reading and good night to all! **

**beatress**


	3. Paths

**Finally onto the next chapter. Gomen ne? It took so long to come but I hope you like how it turned. It is a small chapter but I wanted to update on this story. Before we move on, a few words to say to all those who reviewed: **

**NatsuxLucy4ever: **Good to hear from you after a long time, dear. Trust me when I said she left Natsu and something outrageous is going to happen in this chapter too. You better be ready to face it in a few seconds.

**Lolibeagle: **Finding her in Crocus? We'll have to see about that. Believe me, she did leave him in this story.

**simpleory: **I'm so happy that you find it promising and thank you for waiting for the other chapter updates.

**Guest: **Thank you! I'll take that as a compliment.

**bookwurm247: **Where did Lucy go I wonder? Definitely not with me. I promise I didn't hide her anywhere.

**4ever-a-fairy: **That will truly be an adventure.I'm glad to know you are looking forward to it. I too hope Lucy's okay. XD

**Thank you for all the love by faving and reviewing! I wonder if anyone's still reading my stories because I take a long time to update. Just know, my life isn't very easy on me. I just have fewer escapades like this as the time passes by. Anyways, you guys carry on with the story.**

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**Disclaimer:- I don't own FT. Don't remind me about it again and again ;_;**

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**A letter to Igneel**

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**Chapter-2 **

**Paths**

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"Really? Do you know where Igneel is?" she asked the man who stood infront of her. The grin never left his face. His deep violet hair was neatly brushed to one side. He wore a cloak but didn't hide his head. She wouldn't have bothered herself with him if he hadn't mentioned he had known Igneel.

Igneel…. That was the person she was searching for… the only person who can help her in her current situation.

Igneel… the one who was missing for now. She didn't actually trust that pink haired man because there was no way her father would mention him if he was missing. So, she decided she'd go back to her baby sitter. That was unless she met this guy who claimed to have seen Igneel before.

"I wouldn't be lying Lucy. In fact, I've met him yesterday in Bosco," he said. A smile danced on her lips. She closed her eyes, missing that devious smile on his face and let a sigh in relief.

"_I've finally found him. Now everything would be alright" _she thought to herself.

"Can you…. Can you take me to him?" She asked, determined. Tears began to emerge at the corners of her eyes. If she fails this time, she didn't know what she would do. She would be at a dead end.

"You don't have to ask like that. I'll definitely help. What are friends for?" he smiled at her. "I'll just arrange for a boat and we can leave for Bosco this afternoon. Meet me at the port"

Lucy mouthed a 'thank you' before she saw him leave. She was getting somewhere with this.

At least…

How naïve of her to think that way for the moment the guy left the restaurant where he found her, he called someone and said. "Oi, I've got a girl. Prepare the money. I'm not taking anything less than what we've agreed upon. Trust me, she's a good catch"

~0~

"Going to Crocus with Gray wouldn't be all that bad," his best friend said, smiling at him who had this big frown on his face.

"You have no idea. He eats ice cream on purpose. He pisses me off badly," he complained.

"Don't you put more tabasco in your food, just to aggravate him too, especially when he's around?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's different!" Lisanna could only giggle at his remark.

"I'll miss you though, Natsu." She said, the smile never leaving her face.

"I'll be gone only for three days, Lis," he said, stating the unseen truth. She rolled her eyes.

"Three days is a long time, Natsu," she said.

"Yup, Three days is a long time," he repeated before both of them bursting into fits of laughter, earning the attention of the entire restaurant. They only quietened then, to let the others eat in peace but still kept their smiles on. Lisanna's lasted long though the same couldn't be said about Natsu. It dwindled into a more thoughtful expression.

"Hey, Lisanna, can you do me a favour?" he asked, knowing she would agree. "Can you check on my house if I get a parcel or a visit from someone?"

Now that was new.

"I can do that. But are you expecting someone/something in specific? Maybe a secret girlfriend you're hiding from everyone?" Natsu's cheeks tinted red at her comment. Lisanna only laughed at his weird expression.

"I sure am expecting something but it's not what you think. Check my house once in a while ne? Oh my gosh! I have only an hour left for the train. I've got to go and pack! Bye Lis!" he waved as he left her alone at the table.

"Pay the bill. I'll treat you the next time!" he shouted from the entrance.

She could only smile watching him leave. It was so much of fun with Natsu around. There wouldn't be anyone who wouldn't like this guy. Not even Gray or Gajeel who fight with him every time…

~0~

"Lucy, are you ready? We're setting sail. You don't have motion-sickness or anything right?" Bora asked her, masking his intention with worry.

"I have no problem with transportation, Bora-san. Thank you for helping me so much," she bowed her head in gratitude.

"It's my pleasure," Lucy failed to notice the viciousness in his voice. She would only think he was a good guy, ne?

~0~

"Oi Natsu, it's your fault that we missed the train," Gray accused. They were currently sitting in a taxi,.

"Repeat what you said, Gray!" the pink-haired man said, ticked off.

"I said you started the whole fight back at the store. It was me who first reached there to buy the shaving cream," Gray retorted.

"But it was me who first saw it," Natsu wasn't the one to back down.

The men were about to resort to a fight but the taxi stopped at the moment. The driver came and opened the door. He threw their luggage out and kicked them out along with them. Natsu and Gray could only gape at him as he drove away at the topmost speed away from them, leaving them stranded in the middle of the highway.

"It's your fault!" they said in unison.

"Ara ara, I wonder if they reached Crocus safely or not," a certain white haired woman wondered looking out the window of their office.

"I'm sure they'll make it if not safely, Mira-nee," Lisanna commented and the sisters laughed. It wasn't really a wise decision to send them together, is it? "Anyways, I heard Erza-san was leaving in a few hours for the plane to Crocus to catch up with them right? She'll take care of things, don't you worry"

"I'm just worried about them. You know, there are more chances of getting a call from a hospital than from the client about a successful deal" she remarked.

"I agree," Lisanna said with a smile. We'll just have to wait and see, ne?

~0~

"Lucy, you must be thirsty. Why not take some juice?" Bora handed her a glass of orange juice to drink. Lucy hesitated at first but took it nevertheless.

_Should I drink it? Or should I…. Is it even safe?..._

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**So Lucy's in a dilemma! What should Lucy do?! Where's our hero who is supposed to save our damsel in distress? Oh, I forgot, stranded in a battle. Bora's just so evil in this XD XD Ha ha ha!**

**What do you think about it? (I'm sorry for making him(Bora) so bad but the story needed it). Does this story still interest you? OR should I just stop here and continue my other stories? Tell me no? I'm in a dilemma too. **

**Review and let me know your views about this story. **

**Till next time, bye and have a nice time all!**

**Beatress**


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